Rare Planet of the Apes toy given away by newspaper in early 1970's under auction on Teesside

A prize given away by the Daily Mirror in the early 1970’s is going under the hammer at Teesside auction house Vectis tomorrow.

The rare Planet of the Apes Gun with moulded ape mask is accompanied by the winner’s letter from the newspaper, which carries a warning “try to remember not to use the mask to frighten young children or any person that has a nervous disposition”!

The sought after piece, issued by Mattel, is expected to make between £280-£320.

The prize was given away by the Daily Mirror in the early 1970's

Tomorrow’s auction also sees episode two of the record-breaking Star Wars memorabilia sale which has already hit the headlines around the world.

The first round of the Vectis sale saw a Boba Fett action figure go under the hammer for an astonishing £18,000 - the most ever achieved for a production Star Wars action figure sold at auction.

Star Wars collector Craig Stevens made a healthy £41,796 from the first part of his sale at the Thornaby auction house - and made headlines around the world.

Craig Stevens with his rare Boba Fett Star Wars figure

There are high hopes the remaining 15 Palitoy Empire Strikes Back “mint on card” figures could net him a total of around £100,000 from the two sales.

Said Craig: “Most of the figures that are up for sale in this auction are from the same set as the Boba Fett. They appeared in the shops at exactly the same time in May 1980.

“All of them are from The Empire Strikes Back, which is regularly voted the most popular of the Star Wars films. These figures are beautiful pieces which are drawing world-wide attention.”

Collectors will be falling over themselves to have the opportunity to bid for iconic characters in their debut British Palitoy packaging including Lando Calrissian, Han Solo in his Hoth Outfit and Luke Skywalker in his Bespin Fatigues.

The auction estimates are in the region of £5,000 per figure which could well be conservative. All of the figures are in what could be described as “factory fresh” condition as have only the slightest of wear since coming off of the Palitoy factory production line in 1980.

But it is an unassuming minor robot character which may set the auction alight as Craig explains: “The character F-X7 was one of the medical robots in The Empire Strikes Back and had one of the shortest screen times of all of the Star Wars action figures. Yet collectors have realised that it is one of the rarest Star Wars figures around.”

Craig, from Croydon, turned to the Dark Side when he decided to auction off 85 figures from his vast Star Wars collection boasting more than 10,000 items. He said the money raised from the auctions is going to go towards a house.